These two adjectives are closely related, and some of their meanings overlap (are partly the same). Both describe relationships between two things—including both spatial and abstract relationships.
Two things which are apposed may be next to each other, or in comparable positions—like two book-ends or two words in a poetic phrase, such as “early to bed, early to rise”; bed and rise are apposed. If you compare two things of any kind—objects, options, theories, etc., you appose them; you hold them up next to each other for comparison, or look at them in apposition.
Opposed, in contrast, is similar to apposed in its generality, but describes things that are contrary, or opposite—such as black and white, north and south, good and evil, or two armies; all these things are opposed to each other. It can also describe a person or philosophy that stands against something:
She was opposed to eating meat, as are many Buddhists.
Opposed also has an often heard phrase—as opposed to—which simply serves to contrast anything:
Would you prefer pizza, as opposed to tacos?
Do you think he is funny, as opposed to boring?
The word opposed is often used, apposed, rarely. One finds apposed mainly in academic literature.
Examples of How to Use "Apposed" in a Sentence
- The apposition of these two seemingly unrelated ideas made for a very interesting argument.
- When you place these objects in apposition, you notice some unexpected similarities.
- The trick didn’t work because the dominoes were not properly apposed to one other.
- Because of shoddy construction, water was seeping through the sections that had been apposed without reinforcement.
- Each selectin has a carbohydrate recognition domain that binds to specific glycans on apposing cells.
More Examples of How to Use "Opposed" in a Sentence
- I oppose assault weapons, and I don't want to see them on the streets.
- Some people are opposed to the death penalty, while others believe that it is a necessary form of punishment.
- I am not opposed to the idea of going out tonight, but I don't really feel like it.
- The city council is opposed to the mayor's plan to raise taxes.
- The controversial new theory sharply opposes the currently accepted model.
- We are vehemently opposed to the repeal of Roe v. Wade.
- The two candidates were opposed to each other in almost every way.
- The two countries have been opposed to each other for centuries, and there is no end in sight.
- The company's president and vice president often found themselves opposing each other on various issues.
- The opposing team was using all of their advantages, but they couldn't overcome them.
- Their strategy was opposed by most of their fans and even some experts, but it worked anyway.